Trupanion vs. Healthy Paws: Coverage, Costs & Features

Covered Treatment
Trupanion
Healthy Paws

Exam fees
 
 

Procedures

Lab tests

Medication

Continued treatment

Genetic conditions

Preventive care
 
 

Microchipping
 
 

Spay/neuter surgery
 
 

Vaccinations
 
 

Dental treatment

 

Behavioral treatment
√*

Specialists

Alternative/holistic care
√*

Medical boarding

Cremation/burial
√*
 

Trupanion vs. Healthy Paws: Enrollment Process

As with most pet insurance companies that have fully embraced the digital age, Trupanion and Healthy Paws both provide easy online enrollment processes via a simple instant quote tool. It only takes a few minutes to enter your pet’s information, select the coverage you’d like, and purchase your policy.

Both Trupanion and Healthy Paws have maximum age limits for enrollment. With Trupanion, it’s 13 years of age; Healthy Paws cuts off new signups at 14. However, coverage is so expensive for these senior pets that purchasing a new policy wouldn’t make sense for most owners. Besides, any existing health concerns an older pet has would be considered pre-existing and therefore wouldn’t be covered by either insurer.

To screen for pre-existing conditions, Healthy Paws requires you to show proof that your pet has had a checkup within 12 months prior to enrollment. However, if your pet is younger than 6 years old, then you should show a proof of check-up within 30 days. If you can’t show exam records, you’ll have to schedule an appointment with your veterinarian within the first 15 days or your policy will be canceled. Trupanion doesn’t impose any similar requirement.

Once you’ve made your first premium payment, you’ll have to wait a certain amount of time before benefits go into effect. This varies by provider. Healthy Paws has a 15-day waiting period for both injuries and illnesses. Trupanion’s waiting period is just five days for injuries, but an entire 30 days for illnesses. The chance that your pet will get sick during this time is fairly low, but if they do, it’ll be considered a pre-existing condition. Any long-term care needs resulting from the illness will never be eligible for coverage under your policy.

Trupanion vs. Healthy Paws: Claim Filing

Filing claims is relatively easy with both Trupanion and Healthy Paws, but Trupanion offers a unique feature that most pet insurers don’t. The company provides direct payment to participating veterinarians, eliminating the need to pay for treatments out of pocket and wait for reimbursement. All you’ll have to do is cover your copay when you leave the vet.

You can search for a participating direct-pay veterinarian in the Trupanion online portal when you sign up for coverage. If you’d rather use a vet that doesn’t participate in direct pay, you can still use your Trupanion policy to cover treatment, although you’ll have to pay your entire bill upfront and file a claim for reimbursement with Trupanion.

Healthy Paws doesn’t offer a direct payment program, although getting reimbursed is much faster than with most pet insurers. Just upload your bill to the Healthy Paws website or smartphone app and your claim will be processed within two days.

Trupanion vs. Healthy Paws: Reviews

Healthy Paws is extremely well rated, receiving top marks from most third-party reviewers. Its policy underwriter, Chubb, gets an A++ rating for financial stability from AM Best.

In contrast, Trupanion’s reviews are less than glowing. The company’s underwriter, American Pet Insurance Company, isn’t currently rated by AM Best.

Trupanion vs. Healthy Paws: Costs

If you need affordable pet insurance coverage, Healthy Paws offers a bit more flexibility. Policies start at a lower price point due to a wider range of customization options. Since Trupanion’s policies can only be adjusted by changing your deductible, premiums tend to be on the higher end.

However, Trupanion’s policy riders are very reasonably priced. The Pet Owner Assistance rider is a particularly good value given the variety of benefits included for just $4.95 per month regardless of your pet’s age.

At the end of the day, the only way to truly compare insurance quotes is to look at pricing for policies with equal coverage. We asked both Trupanion and Healthy Paws for the estimated cost of an accident and illness policy with no annual limit, 90% reimbursement, and a $250 annual deductible. While Healthy Paws returned a quote of $35.66 per month, Trupanion was over 50% more expensive at $54.60 per month.

To get an idea of the price range you can expect from each insurer, see the table below. Keep in mind that your actual quote may be higher or lower depending on your pet’s age and breed, your geographic location, and the type of coverage you choose.

 
Trupanion
Healthy Paws

 
Accident and illness plan
Accident and illness plan
Dog: 1 year
$24.94 to $90.38
$20.33 to $43.08

Dog: 3 year
$27.91 to $104.15
$23.74 to $50.37

Dog: 6 year
$34.79 to $136.09
$34.11

Dog: 12 year
$50.98 to $211.26
$155.74

Cat: 1 year
$17.23 to $54.62
$8.01 to $17.04

Cat: 3 year
$19.59 to $65.56
$9.36 to $19.93

Cat: 6 year
$25.64 to $56.41
$13.74

Cat: 12 year
$41.05 to $165.16
$61.31

*This table does not include the price of Recovery and Complementary Care rider and Pet Owner Assistance rider.

FAQs

What Are Trupanion and Healthy Paws?

Trupanion and Healthy Paws are both well-known pet insurance companies that sell policies for dogs and cats. While Healthy Paws offers coverage to pet owners in all 50 states, Trupanion is available to residents of both the United States and Canada. Enrolled pets can receive care from any licensed veterinarian in these respective service areas.

How Do Trupanion and Healthy Paws Work?

When you enroll your pet with Trupanion or Healthy Paws, they’ll be covered by an accident and illness policy with no limit on annual benefits. If your pet becomes sick or injured, you can take them to any licensed veterinarian for treatment. As long as the condition being treated is eligible for coverage, simply submit the bill and you’ll receive reimbursement from the insurance company according to the terms of your policy.

Who Should Use Trupanion or Healthy Paws?

Pet owners looking for outstanding service and more affordable coverage should probably go with Healthy Paws. The company gets top reviews from both customers and financial analysts and is the more budget-friendly option between these two providers.

While Trupanion’s premiums are higher than Healthy Paws’, it’s worth considering if the company’s more specialized coverage options appeal to you. For example, the Pet Owner Assistance rider is particularly valuable if you own a dog breed considered dangerous by your homeowners insurance company. Home insurance policies typically don’t extend property damage liability coverage to excluded certain breeds, so a Trupanion plan with this rider is a great way to make sure you’re fully covered if your pet damages someone else’s belongings.

Compared to other competitors, neither Trupanion nor Healthy Paws is truly a low-cost insurer. You can save significantly by choosing a lower-deductible plan with $10,000 to $15,000 in annual benefits, which is more than sufficient for the vast majority of pets. Lower limits aren’t an option with either of these companies, so make sure you think about whether you really need unlimited annual benefits before choosing one of the two.

How We Evaluated Trupanion vs. Healthy Paws

Our pet insurance reviews are designed to simplify the process of choosing the right coverage for your best friend. We first considered plan options that included deductibles, annual benefits, and copays. We then considered pricing and compared it to a similar company in terms of coverage. Finally, we sought third-party insights from reviews made with AM Best. When comparing the two side-by-side, we wanted to make sure we looked at as many similar options as possible to give you the best information about which plan is most suitable for your needs.

Learn more: Read our full Pet Insurance Review Methodology here.